Wrestlemania XXV Review
A Recap Of The Biggest WWE Pay Per View Of The Year
The WWE presented Wrestlemania XXV last night from Houston, Texas and it was a solid, if unspectacular, show. It featured eight matches, and five of eight were predicted correctly here. Not bad, considering the unpredictability of the WWE. Here is a match by match review.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match
C.M. Punk vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Christian vs. Finlay
As always, the MITB Ladder Match was one of the highlights of Wrestlemania and a great way to kick things off. It featured great athleticism and more innovation. The outcome was a little disappointing however and the WWE really dropped the ball. They had a chance to elevate an MVP or a Shelton Benjamin or a Christian, and instead, they go with the same guy who won it last year. C.M. Punk had a mediocre title reign and hasn't gotten much of a push since he lost the title, so why have him win this again when you could have given one of the aformentioned competitiors the ball?
25 Diva Battle Royal
A little disappointing to see that Trish Stratus wasn't involved. As good a job as the announcers did in ignoring it, it was obvious that Santino Marella was in the ring in drag. Based on the build up, it was no surprise to see Santino(a) win. Santino is one of the most entertaining personalities on Raw and it was nice to see him win a match at Wrestlemania, even if it was a diva's battle royal.
Chris Jericho vs. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Steamboat looked decent but, for the most part, the legends looked old and slow. Jericho, though, put forth his usually solid effort to make this match passable. The booking was great. Jericho won, beating all three legends, and can now brag about his victory. Meanwhile Mickey Rourke, on behalf of the legends, got the last laugh giving the fans a happy ending. Hopefully now Jericho will be put back in the title picture.
Extreme Rules Match
Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy
This was a very good match. All sorts of weapons were used and both guys put forth a great effort. Highlights included Jeff delivering a splash through two tables onto Matt, Jeff missing a legdrop from the top of a huge ladder, and a great finish with Matt delivering a twist of fate to Jeff, who had a chair wrapped around his neck. The right guy won, too. Jeff has already reached the top in the WWE, Matt needed this win to help him get there.
Intercontinental Title Match
JBL vs. Rey Mysterio
This match was so short, if you took a bathroom break, you missed the whole thing. JBL nails a boot before the bell and then, after the bell rings, Mysterio hits the 619 and the splash and it's over. It's a shame that Mysterio didn't get more time to showcase his great ability at Wrestlemania. After the match, JBL apparently retired, saying "I quit." Look for him to go back to the broadcast table.
Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
As expected, this was the match of the night. An unbelievable effort was put forth by these two great WWE legends. Highilights includes Michaels missing a moonsault to the floor, followed by the Undertaker flying over the ropes, a move he pulls out every year at Wrestlemania, only to have Shawn pull the cameraman in the way and see Undertaker land right on his head. He barely beat the count in the ring. The match was also filled with numerous counters, reversals, and false finishes. Shawn actually kicked out of the Chokeslam, the Last Ride, and the Tombstone. Undertaker kicked out of Sweet Chin Music twice. Undertaker eventually wins it catching Michaels on a moonsault attempt and connecting with his second Tombstone of the night. "This is awesome" chant was heard, a rarity in the WWE. Even thoug it was obvious who was going to win all along, they still had the fans on the edge of their seats for the whole match. This was a classic, epic Wrestlemania match. One of the all-time best.
World Title Match
Edge vs. Big Show vs. Cena
This was actually a much better match than most people expected. Good work from all three, even the BIg Show. The match featured constant back and forth action throughout. These three men really had great chemistry on this night. Fantastic finish saw Cena pick up both Big Show and Edge up for the attitude adjustment at the same time! That's over 700 pounds! Superhuman strength by Cena. Eventually Edge wiggles his way off and Cena hits the Big Show with the attitude adjustment. Then, when Edge comes at him, he hits Edge with the attitude adjustment onto the Big Show and pins the Big Show. This win serves to strengthen John Cena's position as the biggest star in wrestling and the face of the WWE.
WWE Title Match
HHH vs. Randy Orton
Does HHH have it in his contract that he must be in the main event of Wrestlemania every single year? This was a disappointing match and either of the previous two matches would have been a better way to end the show. The crowd was dead throughout the match. This match would have been helped by a few more false finishes and run-ins by the McMahons and Legacy. The finish saw HHH give Orton a taste of his own medicine, punting him in the head and then delivering the Pedigree, which, of course, no one kicks out of. Needless to say, the wrong guy won. An Orton win here could have put him on a par with Cena as the biggest star in the WWE. Hopefully there will be a rematch at Backlash, where Orton wins the title. Can't get your hopes up too high, though, because who do you think will be blamed for this lackluster match, Orton or the boss' son-in-law?
Overall Wrestlemania XXV was a mild thumbs up based mostly on the Undertaker/Michaels classic.
Wrestlemania XXV logo
|
Latest Articles